花より団子 お花見シーズン

Yes, it sounds the same, but no, it's not the J-drama (if you don't know what I'm talking about, check the "Administrator's note" ). 「花より団子」（はなよりだんご・hana yori dango・dango rather than flowers) is a Japanese saying that derived from a common spring time activity called お花見（おはなみ・ohanami) literally meaning "to look at flowers"・In a nutshell, お花見 is an outdoor picnic done under or near cherry blossom trees as a celebration and appreciation of spring.

Typical おはなみ, pretty full of people

History of the practice of お花見お花見 is said to have started in the Nara period by high class nobles. During this period, people observed the 梅（うめ・ume・plum) tree, as it had just been introduced to Japan from China. In the Edo period, people started to appreciate the 桜（さくら・sakura・cherry blossom) and today, people will almost always associate 桜 with お花見. Also in the Edo period, お花見 slowly shifted became localized as people in the lower classes started to take part in them.

How to お花見In Japan, where the four seasons in the year are more distinct and consistent than in the states, the 桜 blooms every year between March and April, which is when you see people going out for a お花見. All you have to do is to find yourself a 桜 tree, lay an optional plastic sheet on the ground to keep yourself from getting dirty and to make sure you have your territory distinguishable from the others, bring your friends and family and just have a fun picnic. People will often drink 酒（さけ・sake), called 花見酒（はなみざけ・hanamizake・sake at an ohanami) in this occasion.

Unlike a picnic though, お花見 is not something that can be done during the day. People will often enjoy a night out of 夜桜（よざくら・yozakura・literally "night cherry blossom" ) . At popular 夜桜 sites like the ueno park, lanterns are put out for the time that the 桜 are in bloom. Also, there are special tri-colored rice cakes appropriately named 花見団子（はなみだんご・hanamidango・ohanami rice cakes). The three colors, pink (for the "present" spring), white (for the "past" winter), and green (for the "future" summer). The saying 「花より団子」 comes from the observation people who would rather just eat the treats than enjoying the 桜, defeating the purpose of the お花見.

Cherry blossom 桜

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

花見

おはなみ

ohanami

accents, dialects

桜

さくら

sakura

cherry blossom

花見酒

はなみざけ

hanamizake

sake at an ohanami

夜桜

よざくら

yozakura

literally "night cherry blossom"

甲子園 Koushienn

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like these past couple of months were all about the 2010 FIFA world cup. Many people around me were watching and keeping up on the scores of all of the games. The high interest in the national team games was also true in Japan. But since we are now moving onto 八月 (はちがつ・hachigatsu・August), the sports fans of Japan are changing focus to 高校野球 (こうこうやきゅう・koukou yakyuu・high school baseball). Every year, starting in early 八月, there is a national 高校野球 tournament. It is arguably the largest annual non-professional sports event in Japan.

The 甲子園 Stadium. The national championships are held here every year.

Quick ExplanationStarting in June or July, every 都道府県 (とどうふけん・todoufuken・prefecture) in Japan starts their inter-prefecture 高校野球 tournament. Although this process is only the preliminary round to determine who will go to the 全国大会 (ぜんこくたいかい・zenkoku taikai・national championship tournament), they are still televised locally and spur high interest. Generally, only one high school from each 都道府県 can have a slot in the 全国大会.

The 全国大会 is commonly referred to as the 夏の甲子園 (なつのこうしえん・natsu no koushienn・the summer koushien), because the tournament is held at the 甲子園 (こうしえん・koushienn) stadium in 甲子園 in Nishinomiya city of the Hyogo prefecture in Japan. Highschools that are known to have good baseball clubs (the ones that have sent many of their teams to the 夏の甲子園) are extremely hard to get into. Regardless, as a highschool baseball player, many students dream to play at the 甲子園 stadium.

甲子園 - More Popular than Pro?During 夏の甲子園, there are games being played pretty much everyday. All of the teams up to this point, have not lost a single match. However, depending on what 都道府県 you come from, different schools would have played different numbers of games and schools that come from places like Osaka and Tokyo (with higher competition) tend to be better teams.

To be in 甲子園 is the dream of all high school baseball players in Japan. Thes attracts many viewers; in fact, it is not uncommon for people to choose to watch the 夏の甲子園 over regular professional baseball games.

After almost every game. it is common to see tears in the eyes of the 選手 (せんしゅ・senshu・players) of the losing team. The losing team also stuffs their bags and pockets with the sand from the 甲子園 field.

A typical sight in 甲子園

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

高校野球

こうこうやきゅう

koukou yakyuu

high school baseball

全国大会

ぜんこくたいかい

zenkoku taikai

national championship tournament

夏の甲子園

なつのこうしえん

natsu no koushienn

the summer koushien

文化祭 Field Day

Spirit week, tolo, homecoming, and prom; high school in the US isn’t necessarily easy, but we're pretty lucky in terms of the amount of school wide events.

Japanese high schools pretty much have only one school wide イベント (いべんと・ibento・event) that the students work and look forward to during the year: 学園祭 (がくえんさい・gakuensai・campus festival/field day) aka 文化祭 (ぶんかさい・bunkasai・cultural day).

Typical hallway scene during 文化祭

An Event Put On by the Students学園祭 is and イベント that is organized, planned, and run by the students. Generally, each class is assigned a category (performance, display, etc) and a budget by the general 文化祭 student organization and within the given category, students come up with their program for the big day. For example, students may put on a play, do an outside dance performance, make a haunted house, or even have their own maid cafe in the classroom.

文化祭 is not only for the students that attend the school, but they often allow guests and the outside public to come in and join the event. Also, if you are a 中学生 (ちゅうがくせい・chuugakusei・middle schooler) considering applying to a particular high school, you may go to their 学園祭 to visit and see what the school is like.

The イベント is meant to give the students a chance to work in groups as a team and if done well, it can be a very rewarding experience. However, there are always cases where only a small portion of a class gets very into it, while the rest do not participate very much.

The 準備 ProcessAlthough it depends on the school, 文化祭 are usually held between 九月-十一月 (くがつ-じゅういちがつ・kugatsu-jyuuichigatsu・September-November). Since the school year in Japan starts in 四月 (しがつ・April), the students theorhetically have about half a year to plan the 準備 (じゅんび・jyunbi・preparation/set-up) for 文化祭. In reality, however, people do not start the actual 準備 process until early summer. Students will volunteer time during summer vacation to come to school and do most of the building and labor-intensive work.

文化祭 in AnimeIf you watch a lot of 学園 (がくえん・gakuen・campus/school-setting) animes and mangas, you may already have some exposure to 学園祭. It is a very popular theme, though they seem to glorify the イベント and brush over the very difficult 準備 process.

Students setting up for their program.

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

学園祭

がくえんさい

gakuensai

campus festival/ field day

文化祭

ぶんかさい

bunkasai

cultural day

イベント

いべんと

ibento

event

準備

じゅんび

jyunbi

preparation/set-up

梅雨 Get your umbrellas out!

Japan generally has very clear 季節 (きせつ・kisetsu・seasons). Beautiful 秋 (あき・aki・fall) leaves, freezing cold 冬 (ふゆ・fuyu・winter)... around June, at the end of 春 (はる・haru・spring) and the beginning of a very hot 夏 (なつ・natsu・summer), comes almost always a rainy 梅雨 (つゆ・tsuyu・rainy season) that typically lasts for several weeks.

Being a very humid place to begin with, this time of the year can be very dreary. Most Japanese families to not have dryers in their house and after washing their laundry in the washing machine, hang their clothes up to dry. It can normally take some time to dry as is, but this can especially be a problem during 梅雨. The end of 梅雨 also leads directly into summer and the summer vacation, so many kids look forward to the end of 梅雨.

てるてる坊主

てるてる坊主てるてる坊主 (てるてるぼうず・teru teru bouzu) is a little doll made of white cloth, or more commonly, tissue paper. The custom apparently came from China, but these dolls are said to bring sunny weather when hung upright by a window. The word てる=照る (teru) which means "to shine", referring to the sun shining, and 坊主 (ぼうず・bozu・young boy/monk).

How to make:

Take some tissues and crumple into a ball

Lay this ball in the middle of a new sheet

Bring in the corners of the flat sheet, wrap the ball

Use a rubber band to define the "neck"

Attach a string through the head

Hang by a window with its head up. Kids make this to wish for the rain to stop, not just in the 梅雨. Some make it in the 冬 and hang it upside down to wish for snow.

Pass TimeWith all of the rain outside, it's understandable that one can get hesitant of going outside. Why not become a hermit or a couch potato, just for this 季節, and spend some time watching Japanese dramas? A great one for 梅雨 is "いま,会いにゆきます" (Ima, ai ni yukimasu). If you dislike sad or touching stories, this is not for you. However, this drama’s setting is during 梅雨. The actual on-air time period was also during 梅雨, which was timely. They also have a movie and book version, if you would prefer those.

Typical scene during 梅雨

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

季節

きせつ

kisetsu

season

梅雨

つゆ

tsuyu

rainy season

春

はる

haru

spring

夏

なつ

natsu

summer

秋

あき

aki

fall

冬

ふゆ

fuyu

winter

てるてる坊主

てるてるぼうず

teru teru bouzu

夏祭 Summer Festival

August (and the later half of July) is the time for spirits and ancestors in Japan. There is usually a week long break in August for お盆(おぼん・obon・aka "Bon Festival"), a Japanese/Buddhist custom to honor the ancestors. During this time many families will go to their family graves for an annual cleaning, but besides that it is a time for people to relax. There are also many お祭り(おまつり・matsuri・(summer)festival) at this time.

祭り are held in almost every city in Japan, most commonly during the summer. Although they may not be like the large and famous ones like the Gion Festival, many organizations and schools host local, small-scale 祭り.

Typical 盆踊り scene

When you find an お祭りWhen you go to a 祭り, most commonly in the smaller, local ones, you will see a tower with a 太鼓(たいこ・taiko・Japanese drum) and a drummer on top. ちょうちん(chouchin・lanterns) are also hung around it. There will be music playing and a group of people dancing in a circle around the tower. This dance is called 盆踊り(ぼんおどり・bon odori・the Bon dance).

How does the 盆踊り work?Although dependent on the region and the formality of the occassion, in general the drummers and some of the dancers will be from the organization hosting the event and will sometimes be wearing the same 浴衣(ゆかた・yukata・summer kimono) as eachother. They are the ones to start the music and dance. However, others are welcome to join in whenever, whether you are wearing a 浴衣 or just in your t-shirt and jeans.

So just jump right in and copy the movements of the people around you. There is no set dance to a 盆踊り, but the movements are almost always very simple and repetitive.

If you're in Japan during the summer...More likely than not, there will be お祭り around your area! Go to one of the big and famous お祭り to enjoy the energetic atmosphere, and look for smaller communal ones to for a more laid back experience. Investing in a 浴衣 or similar apparel may be worthwhile to enhance your experience. Don't go to the high end department stores, go to more local stores where 浴衣 can be purchased for less than 25USD for the whole set.

Men's 浴衣 tend to be a bit more pricey, so you may want to purchase a 甚平(じんべい・jinbei) instead, which is, simply put, a shirt and shorts version of a yukata; MUCH easier to wear than a yukata! If you are not too concerned about it being the highest quality, they are only about 15USD, assuming you don't get ripped off!

A 太鼓 drummer on the 盆踊り center tower

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

お盆

おぼん

obon

aka “Bon Festival

盆踊り

ぼんおどり

bon odori

the Bon dance

お祭り

おまつり

matsuri

festival

浴衣

ゆかた

yukata

summer kimono

甚平

じんべい

jinbei

simple yukata

Sport Festival うんどうかい

October is the month for Sports. 運動会 (うんどうかい・udoukai・sports festival), a biannual competitive sports event in japanese schools (mostly elementary and junior high), with the main of the two events commonly held in the fall. It is typically an all-day event and students are split into two groups, 紅組 (あかぐみ・akagumi・red team) and 白組 (しろぐみ・shirogumi・white team), that complete against each other in various games.

Unlike American "field days", most schools invite families to come watch their students compete. This ends up being a huge event with many families setting up picnic sheets and baskets around the perimeter of the dirt field, frantically trying to videotape their child when they are up.

紅組 - typical scene of 玉入れ and 大玉ころがし

10/10 Sports DayIn Japan, October 10th is a national holiday called "体育の日" (たいいくのひ・taiiku no hi・sports day). When this holiday became official, 10/10 was chosen because historically, this day was the most sunny day in the fall season. Appropriately, many 運動会 are held on this day.

What happens at 運動会Many games are played, enough for everyone to get a chance to do something, but not everyone can play in all of the games. Some of the games can be done all together but for the ones with limited space, students sign up beforehand.

Though there are variations among schools, here are some typical games associated with 運動会.

綱引き (つなひき・tsunahiki・tug-a-war): self-explanatory, but this plain old game can get very heated and exciting when you have whole classes going against each other.

リレー (りれー・rire-・relay race): go to any 運動会, and you will see リレー. Though this is probably the more boring of the games.

玉入れ (たまいれ・tamaire・literally "ball in"): The photo on left is a game where each team gets a bunch of bean bag balls that they must put into a basket that is raised up on a long pole.

大玉転がし (おおたまころがし・ootama korogashi・literally "big ball roll"): Second photo on left, as you can probably tell by the name, is a race of who can get to the finish line quickest while rolling a large ball.

ラジオ体操At the beginning of 運動会, all of the students get in rows and do the ラジオ体操(らじおたいそう・rajio taisou・"radio exercise"). It is a very common warm-up exercise in Japan. Look for a video of it on the Internet, you will find the same audio recording and movements. Ask any Japanese person to do the ラジオ体操 and play this audio for them, more likely than not, they will know exactly how the movement goes.

ラジオ体操

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

運動会

うんどうかい

undoukai

sports festival

綱引き

つなひき

tsunahiki

tug-a-war

リレー

りれー

rire-

relay race

ラジオ体操

らじおたいそう

rajio taisou

"radio exercise"

夏服 Summer Wear

Shorts, flip-flops, and swimsuits - sure looks like it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere! Here in the hot, sunny, summer-festival filled Japan, there's another must-have summer wardrobe item: a 浴衣 (ゆかた・yukata)! You'll probably recognize what a 浴衣 looks like if you've gone to a Japanese summer festival (or saw it on anime/manga). It's commonly mistaken for the 着物 (きもの・kimono); in fact, they do look indeed somewhat similar, with the flow-y base and tight 帯 (おび・obi・belt), but they're actually quite different.

浴衣

浴衣 vs. 着物The biggest difference is the fabric. 浴衣 are very informal and made to be worn casually in the summer; hence, its fabric tends to be cotton or another breathable material. Typically, you don't wear another layer underneath because you don't want to suffocate in the summer heat.

着物, on the other hand, is not as accommodating. They're made out of expensive material such as silk, which look nice, but are heavy and thick. Not only that, there are also multiple layers to a 着物, making it a nightmare to wear on a hot day.

The time it takes to wear the two are also very different. As a 着物 newbie, I would start getting dressed at least an hour before heading out (and I'll still need help with it afterwards). With a 浴衣, I can be out the door in approximately 20 minutes.

Granted, this could also be because I have a lot more experience wearing a 浴衣; not only are is it common to wear 浴衣 to summer festivals (or sometimes just to hang out around Kyoto - more on that in the admin's note), but they're also affordable. That is, while some 浴衣 can cost around $150, but there are also many in the $20 to $50 range that look and feel great. Just stay away from department stores! If you walk around small shops in Kyoto during the summer you're bound to run into a 浴衣 clearance. If you're in the states, check out online stores, not just auction sites, but Japanese clothes brands. I remember Uniqlo's cheapest 浴衣 set cost about $30, which includes the 浴衣, 下駄 (げた・geta・traditional sandals), and a matching bag.

Alternative-WearA cheaper alternative is the 甚平 (じんべい・jinbei). It's a two-piece, shirt-and-shorts version of a 浴衣 available for both genders. They're easier to find and tend to fall into a cheaper price range ($10 to $50).

甚平 are particularly popular among men; I probably see as many (if not more) men in 甚平 as those wearing 浴衣 at summer festivals. It is much easier to wear than 浴衣 because if you can tie two bows and wear a t-shirt and shorts, you're good to go. Other than summer festivals, 甚平 are very good pajamas and room-wears.

甚平

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

浴衣

ゆかた

yukata

Summer kimono

着物

きもの

kimono

kimono

甚平

じんべい

jinbei

jinbei

Autumn of… ○○の秋

秋 (あき・aki・fall) is just beginning. Orange leaves, pumpkins, cool breeze... what comes to your mind when you think about 秋?

In Japanese there are a few keywords that people associate with 秋. They are expressed in this way: "OO の秋" (OO のあき・OO no aki・ OO autumn / autumn of OO). It's a time of year that's considered to be one of the most pleasant in Japan, since it's right when the blazing hot summer passes and before the freezing cold winter arrives. So it's a season great for anything.

OO の秋

食欲の秋For example, 食欲の秋 (しょくよくのあき・shokuyoku no aki・autumn of appetite). 秋, being the harvest season, is a time associated with good food: sweet potatoes, baked chestnuts, and of course, the mouth-watering limited edition sweets found in Japanese cafes all across Japan…

If you find yourself binging your 秋 away and stacking on some extra weight, you can just tell your Japanese friends that it's "食欲の秋".

スポーツの秋On the flip side, there's スポーツ (すぽーつ・supo-tsu・sports) の秋. This is the time when Japanese schools have their annual sports festival.

In Japan, school sports are not based on seasons; rather, students typically choose and stick to one sport for an entire year (or even their whole middle and/or high school career).

秋 is right after summer vacation and is a good time to motivate students to get into sports. So all those pounds you gain from 食欲の秋 can be counteracted by being active.

文化の秋秋 is also the season for 文化 (ぶんか・bunka・culture). 秋 is a good time to visit Japan. Many of Japan's cultural jewels shine during this beautiful time of year. For example, Autumn is said to be the best time to visit shrines in Kyoto, with the leaves changing color and the climate being pleasant.

読書の秋There are still several other "OO の秋" sayings, but the last one that I will list here is 読書 (どくしょ・dokusho・reading). While sports may be good to get into after summer vacation, you can't forget about studying!

It's hard to explain where these sayings all come from, and since there are so many, it seems like 秋 is the season for everything. I guess 秋 should be that way, along with all of the other seasons? Well, it kind of is just that. Just don't forget about these various activities during all of the other seasons as well!

Many bookstores have handwritten recommendation labels like this

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

秋

あき

aki

fall

食欲

しょくよく

shokuyoku

appetite

スポーツ

すぽーつ

supo-tsu

sports

読書

ぶんか

bunka

culture

読書

どくしょ

dokusho

reading

風物詩 January

You know that feeling when you see something that reminds you of a certain season? Like umbrellas in the spring and jack-o-lanterns in the fall? There's a word for that association in Japanese - 風物詩 (ふうぶつし・fuubutsushi).

This month, we'll go over some Japanese New Year's 風物詩.

2013 is the year of the snake

お年玉お年玉 (おとしだま・otoshidama) is money that comes in a small decorated envelope commonly given to children on New Year's. It's a Japanese tradition for older members of the family to gift money to younger members. It's not a exclusive 風物詩 just for Japan. Many Asian countries share this practice. It's common children in Japan to look forward to お年玉. I say children, but it's common for people to receive お年玉 as adults. You can receive お年玉 from your parents or grandparents while giving them to your younger nieces and nephews too.

初詣初詣 (はつもうで・hatsumoude) is the first shrine or temple visit in the New Year. Usually people do it within the first week of January, while their work and school is on break. It's common for many people to wear kimonos to 初詣. During the visit, many will also purchase horoscope/oracle pieces of paper that they draw from a box called おみくじ (omikuji). It's like a forecast for the coming year.

おもちWe've talked about the elaborated New Year's meal おせち料理 (おせちりょうり・osechi ryouri) before, so we'll skip over that. Instead, another January 風物詩 is おもち (おもち・omochi・aka "mochI" or rice cake). It's not necessarily a January food, but there are many imageries with おもちassociated with the New Year. For example, people put out 鏡餅 (かがみもち・kagamimochi・literally "mirror rice cake") as new year's decoration. It's a way of offering おもち to the gods in Japanese tradition.

In terms of eating おもち, you can bake it and eat it with soy sauce or seaweed, but another easy dish is お雑煮 (おぞうに・ozouni). It's a simple dish of baked おもち in soup (ie. Miso soup). It's like a household winter comfort food - it's much more filling than a regular bowl of miso soup and gives a new taste to an otherwise bland piece of おもち.

鏡餅 and お雑煮

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

風物詩

ふうぶつし

fuubutsushi

お年玉

おとしだま

otoshidama

初詣

はつもうで

hatsumoude

おもち

おもち

omochi

aka "mochI" or rice cake

お正月 sayings

Perhaps you're spending these first few days of the New Year with friends and family, digesting all the food and sluggishly recovering from holiday-mode. While it may be difficult to pull yourself together to think about what may happen later in 2014, as the Japanese would say, 一年の計は元旦にあり (いちねんのけいはがんたんにあり・ichinen no kei wa gantan ni ari). Literally, "the year's sum is at New Year's day". It means that one should plan for the upcoming year on 元旦 (がんたん・gantan・ New Year's day). It's a reminder to people that it's always best to plan ahead.

Like this, there are many Japanese 格言 (かくげん・kakugen・saying/words of wisdom) that is related to お正月 (おしょうがつ・oshougatsu・ New Year's). Let's kick off the year by learning a few more.

門松の一夜飾りはいけない Similarly, 門松の一夜飾りはいけない (かどまつのいちやかざりはいけない・kadomatsu no ichiya kazari wa ikenai・literally, "it is bad to display a kadomatsu for one night"). 門松 (かどまつ・kadomatsu) is a type of お正月 decoration that is meant to welcome good spirits to the home. The 格言 says it is bad to display a 門松 for just one day because by only having it out for one day implies that the family prepared it last-minute. Such procrastination is seen rude to the spirits. Hence, the message calls for people to always be prepared.

門松 usually comes in pairs and is left by the entrance of a home.

笑う門には福来る In Japan, お正月 is traditionally a holiday spent with family at home. 笑う門には福来る (わらうかどにはふくきたる・ warau kado ni wa fuku kitaru・ a laughter around the corner will bring good luck). This is an encouragement for families that get along and have fun together, a family with laughter will bring in good luck.

一富士二鷹三茄子 Do you remember what you dreamt on the night of 元旦? The first dream of the year is said to carry a special meaning in Japan. It's like a horoscope in that this first dream is said to predict whether the rest of the year will be good or bad. 一富士二鷹三茄子 (いちふじにたかさんなすび・ichi fuji ni taka san natsubi) is a 格言 that lists the top three things that are particularly good things to have in one's first dream. First, 富士 (ふじ・fuji・Mt. Fuji), which sounds similar to a Japanese words for "immortal". Second, 鷹 (たか・taka・falcon), sounding similar to "high" (both in height or social class). Third, 茄子 (なすび・nasubi・eggplant), a plant that bears many seeds, which is paralleled to having many healthy children.

2014 is the year of the Horse.

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

格言

かくげん

kakugen

saying/words of wisdom

元旦

がんたん

gantan

New Year's day

お正月

おしょうがつ

oshougatsu

New Year's

雪祭り

The holidays are over and it’s still the middle of winter. And unless you’re in the southern hemisphere, the tropics, or just a place that doesn’t get too cold, it’s a winter wonderland out there. It’s during this time that the city of Sapporo prepares for their big 祭り (まつり・matsuri・ festival). No yukatas, no fireworks, this is a 雪祭り (ゆきまつり・yukimatsuri・ Snow festival). The Sapporo 雪祭りis one of the biggest winter events in Japan and it draws millions from around the world.

The massive snow sculpture is one of the most popular displays at the Sapporo 雪祭り

What’s there to see? The Sapporo 雪祭りis most known for the 雪氷像 (せっぴょうぞう・seppyouzou・ snow and ice sculptures / literally “snow”, “ice”, “sculpture”). Every year, hundreds of people gather to unleash their creativity and build the best, most intricate 雪氷像and compete against each other. In 2014, there are 198 sculptures on display. Anybody from around the world can send an application to make a 雪氷像, but there are usually too many applicants and a drawing will be held. The event organizers will also have professionals come in to create a massive 雪氷像. This becomes the landmark of the year’s 雪祭り. The week-long 祭りis open to the public for free. The organization will sometimes host concerts and other shows that require the purchase of an entrance ticket. Type of お正月.

On top of 雪像, there are also many elaborate 氷像 (ひょうぞう・hyouzou・ice sculptures)

History The Spporo 雪祭り started in 1950, when a group of high school students made six 雪像 (せつぞう・setsuzou・ snow sculptures) . They organized an event displaying the 雪像, including games like 雪合戦 (ゆきがっせん・yuki gassen・ snowball fight). It drew more than 50,000 people and it became a yearly tradition that grew massively. In 1955, the Japanese self-defense force joined in to create the first large-scale 雪像. And by 1959, more than 2,500 people were out making 雪氷像. Over the years it became grander and gathered international attention, making it the 雪祭りit is today.

Other 雪祭り This is a little add-on Japanese lesson. The words雪 (ゆき・yuki・ snow) and氷(こおり・koori・ice) were used often in this article but there were different ways to pronouncing them. That’s because there are both Chinese and Japanese ways of reading kanji. If you want to say snow or ice as the subject in Japanese, use “yuki” and “koori”.

越路雪祭り (Koshiji Snow Festival) in Koshiji, Nagaoka, Niigata

Vocabulary

Kanji

Hiragana

Romaji

English

雪祭り

ゆきまつり

yukimatsuri

Snow festival

雪氷像

せっぴょうぞう

seppyouzou

snow & ice sculptures

雪合戦

ゆきがっせん

yuki gassen

snowball fight

雪だるま

ゆきだるま

yukidaruma

snowman

母の日 Mother’s Day

Don't forget - 母の日(ははのひ・hahanohi・Mother's Day) is on the 12th of May!

If you plan on celebrating 母の日 how do you plan to do it? How did you celebrate it as a child? This month, we'll be comparing some of the generic or stereotypical ways 母の日 is celebrated in the US and Japan.

Breakfast in Bed One of the first things that pop into my head when I think 母の日 in the US is breakfast in bed. Generally speaking, you don't eat in bed in Japan unless you're sick. Many Japanese people have probably seen scenes of breakfast in bed on American TV shows and whatnot, but it's a foreign practice that's unlikely to ever become popular.

花If you ask a Japanese person to name a 花 (はな・hana・flower) that's symbolic of 母の日, the vast majority of people will say carnation. Now, this may be true to a certain degree in the US, but I see many more people giving roses, lilies and tulips here than I would in Japan. As a side note, chrysanthemums are a taboo to give people in Japan because it's a common funeral flower.

お手伝い券 and odd Japanese chore I'm sure at one point in Elementary school, you had an assignment to make お手伝い券 (おてつだいけん・otetsudai ken・chore tickets) - the little booklet with lines for your to write chores on and decorate to give as gifts to your parents. Well, that's a common practice in Japan.But there's one really common ticket that kids make, it's called the 肩たたき券 (かたたたきけん・katatataki ken・shoulder massage ticket). This ticket is a common ticket given on both 母の日and 父の日 (ちちのひ・chichinohi・Father's Day). 肩たたき (shoulder massage) is a common practice among children in Japan. Not just for your parents, but to your grandparents as well. It's almost like a chore.

父の日 There's not going to be a separate newsletter on 父の日 so we might as well mention it now. The only difference is that you will be treating your Father as opposed to your Mother!

肩たたき券 is a common gift Japanese children give on Mother's Day and Father's Day